Drop in female hormones attributed to hair loss in women

June 2005

The mechanisms that cause thinning of hair are different for men and women, with a reduction in women's hormones during menopause a major cause of female hair loss, cosmetics and toiletries manufacturer Lion Corp. has found.

A team of researchers from the company confirmed in tests that female hormones were able to increase levels of a hair growth substance produced in hair papilla cells.

About 60 percent of women aged 60 or over are distressed about their hair thinning, a survey conducted by Lion Corp. has shown. When tests were conducted, researchers found that the reactions of hair papilla cells to various substances differed between men and women.

When researchers added female hormones to the hair cells of women and measured levels of the protein BMP, which promotes hair growth, it was found that female hormones had the effect of increasing the production of BMP.

"There is a possibility that by preventing a reduction of female hormones, a significant portion of hair thinning can be prevented," a representative of the company's biochemical center said. (Mainichi)